In the U.S. patent to Elmer G. Etes, No. 3,114,475, issued Dec. 17, 1963, there is disclosed a machine for vending newspapers, magazines and the like including a housing having a generally horizontal dispensing opening, a dispensing gate movable between open and closed positions in the dispensing opening, a paper support tray for supporting a stack of generally horizontally disposed papers, tray elevating means for urging the tray upwardly to elevate the tray toward the panel, and a feed mechanism operable through a dispensing cycle to move the top paper at least part way off the stack and into the dispensing opening. That machine also included a mechanism engageable with a support tray in all operative positions for shifting the support tray downwardly during a dispensing stroke a distance sufficient to at least partially relieve the pressure between the top paper and the panel to facilitate dispensing.
The prior vending machine had mechanism operative to lock the dispensing gate against opening between dispensing cycles and operative when the feed mechanism was moved in its dispensing stroke to release the gate lock and enable opening of the dispensing gate for the passage of the top paper. This mechanism operated satisfactorily to dispense papers. However, the dispensing gate could be held open after the gate lock was released, by inserting a hand or other object to the dispensing opening. With the dispensing gate held open, an instrument such as a hook, wire or the like could be inserted through the dispensing opening to engage and strip the top papers from the stack and the tray elevating means operated to continue elevating the stack of papers so that it was possible to sequentially strip the entire stack of papers from the machine.
In order to inhibit unauthorized withdrawal of papers in the stack through the dispensing opening, a stop pin was provided in the above apparatus and normally positioned in the path of movement of the top paper, which stop pin was moved to its inoperative position only during movement of the dispensing mechanism in a dispensing stroke. When the stop pin was in position extending crosswise of the stack adjacent the top paper, it would function to impede withdrawal of the papers. However, the stop pin could be rendered ineffective by inserting another coin and operating the dispensing mechanism until it elevated the stop pin. The dispensing mechanism could then be held in that position to hold the stop pin in its raised position. Alternatively, it was possible to manually raise the stop pin through an instrument inserted through the open dispensing gate.